The International Herb Association says calendula is the herb of the month, so give it up for calendula! Calendula is often used in a cream to soothe skin; Neal's Yard makes a good one.

Epazote, sometimes called Mexican Tea, is much used in Latin cooking. The strong herb, often compared to cilantro (though epazote's scent is more gas than soap), is available dried from Kalustyans. Also, look underfoot: you can find it growing in sidewalk cracks and Central Park.

Amanda Cohen has put her popular, but seasonal, tomato cake (made with smoked feta, yellow tomato leather and an herb puree) back on the menu at Dirt Candy. Even though tomato cake doesn't have the same mouthwatering ring as, say, chocolate layer cake, Cohen, as usual, makes it delicious.

Apotheke offers a Market Fresh Mixology class on making cocktails with produce and herbs. The next is this Saturday, June 14, 2-4pm, $125.

The Shakespeare Garden up behind the Swedish Cottage in Central Park (dedicated to Shakespeare in 1916, on the 300th anniversary of his death), contains only herbs and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare's plays and poems.

Herbes de Provence (usually lavender, savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme and oregano), along with peas, ramps and mushrooms, make for a pastoral cavatelli at Claudette, 24 5th [9th/10th] 212.868.2424.

One of the tastier bites in the city is the rosemary twist from Amy's Breads, made from sourdough and the fresh herb.

Rodale's 21st-Century Herbal: A Practical Guide for Healthy Living Using Nature's Most Powerful Plants, by New York Botanical Garden ethnobotanist Michael J. Balick, inspired by a book published in 1597, should serve as the go-to guide on herbs for the next four hundred years.

Cooking demos at Wave Hill feature lavender, anise and tarragon, and lemon-scented herbs on June 14, July 20 and August 10 respectively.

At Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Terrace Cafe serves fresh, sustainably-farmed food and often uses herbs from their own garden.

Basil is mixed with lemon and then added to dark and white chocolate at Kee's.